PBS Jim Leher News Hour in HD -- MIA

[Stanley Kritzik]

Well, I've been watching the New Hour in HD on CH 36-1 at a respectable early evening hour, 5:30 to 6:30 PM, as I recall, thru the end of July.  Not any more.  Would you believe it is on analog CH 36 at 6:00 PM, and on some subset of CH 10 at 9:00 PM?   Also, in response to my query, MPTV's representative said that the HD feed was "too complicated", and as the months roll by, the program's times and channels are going to bounce around.

That makes me, for one, unhappy, as this is the best TV news program, by far.  These channels are awarded to MPTV "in the public interest and necessity".  Having an hour of straight TV news; especially now that it's available in HD, fits that description.  Whether it draws the biggest audience in the area or not is beside the point.

Stanley Kritzik

[duncantuna]

W.
T.
F.

This is absurd.  Just noticed this thread, I was wondering what happened to the News Hour in HD.

Honest to god, 50% of the reason I got a HDTV was to watch the News Hour in HD, as it looked terrible in SD.  No, I am not kidding.

They better have a better answer than what they gave you, get it back on HD, or I will be withdrawing my support from their station.

[Tom Snyder]

Have you contacted MPTV? They still may not care, but you can guarantee that they won't do anything if nobody complains.

[duncantuna]

I sent an email last night, yes.  If I don't hear back today, I'll call.

I also dropped an email to Cuprisin, maybe he can rattle some cages.

[duncantuna]

Here's the response I got from .. a "Volunteer" at the station.

As I understand it, there are no immediate plans to return the NEWSHOUR to the 5pm HD slot. There are a number of technical issues, feeds, etc that come into play--putting the NEWSHOUR back is not an option. I'll be sure to forward your comments to the appropriate people.

That sure sounds like a bunch of crap.  How have they figured out the technical details for the past 3 months, when they carried the HD version?

So .. now I've gotta figure out how to get some people to complain, put pressure on them to change.   I need a marketing expert to figure out how to reach the News Hour High Def segment of Milwaukee.  Any ideas?

And .. anyone know anyone at MPTV that can get me a better answer?

Furious.

[Stanley Kritzik]

Here's the response I got from .. a "Volunteer" at the station.

They must have a "copy and paste" machine giving answers, 'cause I got the exact same wording to my complaint.  I mean, this is stupid.  They stuck up the huge HD digital antenna to rent space to others; they claim to be the digital leader; yet they won't even carry the HD version of their lead program at the right time, or even in HD at ANY time!

Yet they expect us to give them money for support?

The program IS in HD; it should be shown at prime news hour time -- in HD.  I really don't appreciate getting a canned and clearly uninformed answer from a "volunteer'.  Where the h*** is the management?  The answer given by MPTV is just unacceptable.

Stan

[ArgMeMatey]

When it's blamed on technical issues with no underlying explanation, I'll bet a year's pledges the real reason is money or politics.  

Is there anything more annoying than being told there are technical difficulties, without being told what's going on?

Who is arranging the picket line?  

[Jayflap]

After asking around the station I was able to get some information regarding as to why Newshour has been removed from the HD lineup. I was able to email our programming folks for both 10 and 36 and they were able to give me the reasoning behind it.

As of 9/1, we will be simulcasting 10 and our HD signal, and since 10 doesn't carry The NewsHour, it would have gone away then anyway.  Programming decided to simulcast our analog signals with their digital counterparts in preparation for the 2/09 analog shutoff so people would know where to find us on the digital side, and also because people who have digital converters without an analog pass-through option were unable to see our regular 10&36 programs.  Additionally, it's a stipulation from Nielsen (ratings) that our digital channels must be simulcasts with our analog signals in order to get audience measurement of the digital signals. So even if programming hadn't changed the lineup now, it would have changed on September 1st anyway when the new Channel 10 and 36 channel assignments change.

Hope this helps. I know it is not the answer you were hoping for with Newshour making it's way back to the HD side. My only suggestion would be to write into the programming department and see if they would switch what airs on 10 and 36 to allow Newshour to be on the 10 side. I personally am not sure what is currently airing in it's timeslot on Channel 10, but it is worth a shot.

Jason

[ArgMeMatey]

Nielsen ... like I said, money.  Or as its token equivalent is known in the nonprofit sector, sponsorships!  

I just read the press releases dated Tuesday 8/12/2008 and that's a pretty good summary.  

http://www.mptv.org/insidemptv/news.php?month=August&year=2008#293

I guess this will be a good test of whether boxes can automatically adjust or have to do a re-scan.

Edit:  

I just looked at the programming on 10-1 at 6 PM weekdays.  It's feature and local stuff that I would guess draws a far smaller audience than the News Hour.  

If there's anything more important than providing current national and world news, it's providing HD programming to people who would otherwise be watching some commercial channel.  

Full disclosure:  I watch News Hour.  To paraphrase my favorite Onion column filler, "We're sorry, non-profit MPTV-HD is not trying to reach viewers like you at this hour.  Please try another channel."

[Stanley Kritzik]

Meanwhile, last time I looked, the NBC, CBS and ABC national news programs during the early evening hours are all in SD (not 100% sure about CBS).  One wonders what they are waiting for.

Also, I quickly read the Dvorak piece referred to, above, and I didn't understand it; I'll go back and re-read it.  All I know is -- MPTV spent a fortune on its new tower + antennas + transmitting equipment, while PBS did the same to convert the News Hour into HD, and you can see it in HD in New York, Denver and who knows where else, but for some arcane reason, Milwaukee is downgraded to second-class status.  To have an HD prestige program available, but broadcast it in SD makes no real sense at all, regardless of fringe excuses.

Stan

[Tom Snyder]

Actually CBS and NBC evening news are both HD. ABC is the last holdout.

[duncantuna]

Five days ago, I sent a very polite email to Ellis Bromberg, MPTV's GM asking for an explanation and requesting the News Hour be returned to HD.  

5 days, no response.  Very disappointed.   About the only thing I have left is to cancel my membership.  :mad:

[Stanley Kritzik]

Five days ago, I sent a very polite email to Ellis Bromberg, MPTV's GM asking for an explanation and requesting the News Hour be returned to HD.  

5 days, no response.  Very disappointed.   About the only thing I have left is to cancel my membership.  :mad:

MPTV management ought to read yesterday's NY Times column (8/18) by Eric Taub, entitled "HDTV Becomes De Riguerer", ending with the conclusion: "High-definition TV is no longer a luxury option.  It's standard."  For MPTV to dumb down the News Hour from HD to SD is inexcusable.

Stan

[ArgMeMatey]

For MPTV to dumb down the News Hour from HD to SD is inexcusable.

Stan

At risk of repeating myself, I agree completely.  They have a live (or nearly live, I suppose) news program available in HD that would showcase their being at the forefront of HD deployment, and instead they are going to have some canned, non-time-sensitive stuff on instead.  They have some strategic issues to resolve.

[duncantuna]

Update:  I have received a reply from the GM at MPTV.  His delay in responding was due to vacation.

Here it is:

We all share your admiration and appreciation of Jim Lehrer and THE NEWSHOUR, and had experimented with the East Coast feed of the program on MPTV-HD when it became available to us on an alternate PBS satellite feed several months ago.

At the same time, we were finalizing plans for the new lineup on our digital channels, effective September 1.  Because of our commitment to PBS educational children's programming on our primary channel, Channel 10, and the fact that Channel 10 and MPTV-HD will begin simulcasting on September 1 in preparation for the final shutoff of analog Channel 10 in February, it became apparent that we could not continue the broadcast of THE NEWSHOUR that you enjoyed on MPTV-HD.  That timeslot on MPTV-HD will accommodate an extended block of children's programming.

Nevertheless, beginning September 1, there will be four daily broadcasts of THE NEWSHOUR on our digital stations which should look quite good: on the new MPTV-Digital-36 (which Time Warner will add on Channel 516) at 6:30 pm and 10:30 pm, and on MPTV WORLD (Time Warner channel 550) at 9:00 pm and 2:00 am.  We hope you'll find one or more of those timeslots and sharper digital transmissions to your liking.

Gosh, where to begin.  Prioritizing Children's HD programming over The Newshour?    This has got to be a sad joke.  :mad: